Piedmontese Wines and the Contemporary Dutch Cuisine

The Piedmont region literally is sitting on the foot of the Alps and is best known for its bold wines made with the Nebbiolo grape or fruity reds made with Barbera. Apart from that the local cuisine is amongst the most refined and tasteful cuisines in the world, yet some adventurous minds tried to pair it with our local cuisine of The Netherlands! A challenge to say the least, but what stunning results it has led up to!

Piedmont is located in the north-western part of Italy with the Alps in the north and the Mediterranean to the south. The climate is mild and continental with the Alps shielding the region off from heavy rainfall and the cold northern wind. The Mediterranean and nearby rivers will temper the heat during the somewhat shorter summer. Sufficient rainfall will enable a healthy growth for the vines.  However, the region can be subjected to thunderstorms during summer with hail. In terms of terroir, we will find a mix of clay, limestone and sand.

Everyone knows that the number of indigenous Italian grape varieties goes well up into the thousands, and in Piedmont we find a beautiful mix of well-known and lesser-known varieties. The most well-known are of course the Nebbiolo and Barbera for red, and the Moscato and Cortese for white, but other grapes will lead to high quality wines as well. 

The most important red varieties for the region are:

• Nebbiolo
• Barbera
• Dolcetto
• Grignolino
• Freisa 
• Brachetto
• Vespolina
• Bonarda

While the most important white varieties will be:

• Moscato
• Cortese
• Arneis
• Erbaluce
• Chardonnay

Piedmont has 16 DOCG appellations and up to 42 DOC. To understand the Piedmont region, we need to divide into 4 different sub-regions:

• Piemonte Astigiano
• Piemonte Langhe
• Piemonte Monferrato
• Piemonte Nord

In Piemonte Astigiano the most important appellations are the ones of DOCG Moscato d’Asti and DOCG Asti Spumante. Both sparkling wines made of the Muscat grape. They are slightly sweet and low in alcohol. Fermentation happens in a closed off tank, so that the CO2 can remain in the wine leaving it sparkling. In style these Moscato’s will remind you of the DOCG Brachetto d’Acqui that is made in a similar way of the red Brachetto grape. These types of wines will work perfectly with different desserts and ingredients coming from the Dutch cuisine, especially when it is made of red fruit, like cherries. Think of pairing it with Haagse Bluf, a typical Dutch dessert from The Hague, made with egg-whites and red berries. 

With the sub-region of Piemonte Langhe, we enter the region of the savoury wines. The most well-known grape that grows here is the Nebbiolo, with its high acidity and earthy aromas. The most important appellations are the DOCG Barolo and DOCG Barbaresco for Nebbiolo, Barbera d’Alba for Barbera and Roero for the Arneis grape. The savoury notes of the Nebbiolo like overripe cherries, old leather, black tea and balsamic makes this wine a perfect companion for dishes that are equally ripe and intense. Think in terms of beef casserole, paté made of pork and nuts or roasted artichokes. In autumn time the Nebbiolo will be best friends with several slow cooked game dishes. 
Thinking of the Arneis grape, with wines that are medium bodied with notes of ripe pear and yellow apple, along with a refreshing bitterness in the aftertaste, a range of food matching possibilities opens up. A lot of local fish varieties like mackerel, trout, eel and bass will go hand in hand with the medium body of the Arneis. And let’s not forget different Dutch vegetables like gooseberries, turnips, spinach or leek, that will compliment the bitter aspect of the Arneis. 

Piemonte Monferrato is home to the DOCG Barbera del Monferrato Superiore and DOCG Cortese di Gavi, featuring the white Cortese grape. This light-bodied, high acidic and refreshing variety pairs well with mussels, oysters, clams or any other seashell-fish coming from the North Sea!

In Piemonte Nord we find the appellations of the DOCG Gattinara and DOCG Ghemme for wines made of the Nebbiolo grape. For white wine we find the appellation of DOCG Erbaluce di Caluso made with the local Erbaluce grape, and will produce either sparkling, dry white or sweet white, leaving numerous options to pair with our secretly larger Dutch Cuisine!

This tasting and food matching workshop was initiated by I Vini del Piemonte, lead by Fred Nijhuis and hosted at restaurant Pollevie in s’Hertogenbosch. The restaurant offered us a contemporary approach to the Dutch cuisine with a menu completely vegan featuring Dutch products. I Vini del Piemonte wants to promote the Piedmontese wines in the Netherlands and brought a selection available through Dutch importers, including fan-favourites Barolo, Barbera d’Alba, Roero Arneis and Barbera d’Asti.